Chiefs face tough challenges at top
Previous ranking (from earlier in the offseason) in parentheses.
1. Chiefs (1): Perhaps once regarded as a luxury pick, first-round RB Clyde EdwardsHelaire now looms as a major key to repeat bid with Damien Williams opting out.
2. Ravens (2): What does QB Lamar Jackson, 2019’s MVP and recently voted league’s No. 1 player by his peers, do for an encore? Apparently strike downfield more. Should be something to behold.
3. Saints (3): Entering a contract year – apparently back to full health – RB Alvin Kamara is a guy to watch ... and one to draft for your fantasy lineup.
4. 49ers (4): This offense might initially look a touch one-dimensional ... at least as long as WR Deebo Samuel is recovering from his broken foot.
5. Steelers (9): Imagine if they could’ve married their 2018 offense to 2019’s defense. Alas. But Big Ben’s return should restore Pittsburgh to AFC’s elite.
6. Colts (6): Even if you weren’t amped about a nontraditional training camp look, QB Philip Rivers reporting in a Hickory High shirt had to get you at least a little juiced.
7. Buccaneers (7): TB12, Gronk and BA? What a bummer HBO opted to profile the Bucs in 2017’s fairly forgettable installment of “Hard Knocks.”
8. Titans (8): Ryan Tannehill’s NFL-high 117.5 passer rating in 2019 topped his six-year average in Miami by 30+ points. Can he possibly maintain that level?
9. Bills (11): Good luck finding a better secondary – one that should make an ever-deeper fleet of pass rushers improve on last season’s total of 44 sacks.
10. Packers (10): After large
ly sitting out free agency and drafting with an eye toward long-term future, last year’s NFC championship game finalists seem poised to retrograde.
11. Cowboys (13): From talent perspective, hard to argue they’re not class of NFC East. But that was true of last year’s 8-8 squad. Welcome, Coach McCarthy. 12. Seahawks (15): They paid top dollar for S Jamal Adams. But an atypically weak Seattle defense needed a boost ... and this team doesn’t draft well in Round 1 anyway.
13. Eagles (12): After a promising – and relatively unheralded – rookie year, don’t be surprised if RB Miles Sanders breaks out to catapult offense forward. 14. Vikings (5): Onus for success might lie with QB Kirk Cousins and Co. unless Mike Zimmer can swiftly repair defense that lost quite a few linemen and corners.
15. Patriots (19): QB Cam Newton’s ability to integrate and generate offense projects as increasingly vital with 2019’s top defense stripped by free agency, COVID opt-outs.
16. Falcons (16): Fortunes could pivot with new defensive boss Raheem Morris’ unit given Atlanta has maintained a top-10 offense six seasons running.
17. Broncos (14): Resurrection seems imminent if QB Drew Lock’s arc doesn’t flatten. However he’ll basically have to adapt to his rookie wideouts on the fly.
18. Browns (26): New coach Kevin Stefanski might fit offensive personnel like a glove and might – eventually – help 2019 preseason darlings fulfill vast promise. 19. Cardinals (18): Even if they’ve successfully bolstered receiving corps following DeAndre Hopkins deal, fortunes might reside with 2019’s league-worst D. 20. Texans (21): Even if they’ve successfully spackled receiving corps following Hopkins deal, is 28th-ranked defense good enough to sustain AFC South kings?
21. Lions (22): If QB Matthew Stafford remains upright, rookie RB D’Andre Swift thrives and ex-Patriots defensive reinforcements deliver, Detroit could
surprise this fall.
22. Chargers (17): Rivers’ departure is their primary storyline entering 2020, but offense might be better geared to veteran QB Tyrod Taylor’s style. 23. Dolphins (23): We’re all in on Brian Flores’ leadership ... but might be tough to avoid another slow start given mass influx of free agents and rookies. 24. Raiders (27): Great potential they’re more competitive on field than 2019 edition of Silver and Black ... yet might still ultimately regress in win column.
25. Rams (20): Is bloom coming off the Sean McVay rose? That might be premature, but he’s got something to prove while counting heavily on revived run game and a rookie defensive coordinator.
26. Bengals (25): Offense is loaded with exciting array of skill players, but this offseason could delay O-line cohesion and rookie QB Joe Burrow’s NFL transition. 27. Bears (29): Though focus is rightly on their unsettled passing game, this defense also looking like it might be equally susceptible through the air. 28. Jets (24): Strong 2019 finish tempered by loss of Adams, their best player, LB C.J. Mosley’s opt-out plus apparent lack of bottom feeders on 2020 schedule. 29. Washington (28): Defense has firepower to generate mass amounts of pressure ... assuming potentially bleak offense manages to keep games competitive. 30. Jaguars (32): DE Yannick Ngakoue and RB Leonard Fournette, arguably Jags’ two best players, probably their biggest wild cards aside from QB Gardner Minshew. 31. Panthers (31): New coach. New coordinators. New QB. No Luke Kuechly. Some nice players here, sure, but this is one team that really needed on-field work this spring. 32. Giants (30): Big Blue might just be a gang of green, especially now that LT Nate Solder’s opt-out could thrust pair of rookie tackles into lineup.